


Burning Love

by botanicalTJ



Series: boys loving boys [3]
Category: The Outsiders - All Media Types
Genre: Anger Management, Arguments, Boyfriends, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, M/M, They love each other, Unresolved Emotional Tension, darry is only mentioned, he's trying to do better, idk why it says pt 3 bc its definitely not pt 3, kiss and make up, they just dont show it sometimes, tim is an ass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:00:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25275814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/botanicalTJ/pseuds/botanicalTJ
Summary: all they can do is kiss and make up.
Relationships: Darrel Curtis/Tim Shepard, Darrel Curtis/Two-Bit Mathews, Darrel Curtis/Two-Bit Mathews/Tim Shepard, Two-Bit Mathews/Tim Shepard
Series: boys loving boys [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1796422
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	Burning Love

"Two-Bit..."

"No." Two-Bit dodged Tim's outstretched hand, not letting his arm fall into its grasp. He ducked under the other's arm and walked quickly down the hallway, ignoring the footsteps behind him. 

"Hey, c'mon." Two-Bit shook his head even though Tim was behind him, making a beeline for the kitchen. The house was empty except for Darry sleeping in the bedroom and they had to be quiet but goddamn it, he needed a drink. He threw open the fridge, ignoring the dangerous clink of the glass milk bottles in the door.

" _ Keith. _ " Two-Bit froze at the sharpness of the voice in his ear, his hand wrapped around the neck of a beer bottle. Inhaling a breath through his nose, he snapped himself out of it and took the beer off the shelf, then spun around. He wasn't surprised to find Tim right in front of him, but he was surprised to have heard his name spoken like that. Only Darry and Brenda and his ma called him Keith, and it made him feel like he was in trouble. 

"What's the matter with you?" Tim huffed before Two-Bit could say a word, and all it did was push him further towards the anger that bubbled under the surface of his need for alcohol. It would have been alright if the impact of the words hadn't spread so clear across his own face, manifesting into offense and just plain  _ hurt. _

"Will ya leave me alone?" Two-Bit swallowed, looking away before he could accidentally reveal any other emotion. He knocked the beer bottle against the lip of the countertop to open it, letting the cap fall to the floor without bothering to kick it under the fridge. Once again, he stepped around Tim and headed over to the kitchen table. This time, he was caught around the waist.

"No, I won't." They wrestled against each other for a minute, Two-Bit having to bite his tongue to keep from hollering out his protests. Mostly, though, he held his beer to his chest, keeping it from spilling while Tim forced him back over to the counter. There, they stood face to face, Two-Bit leaning against the countertop and Tim right in front of him, clearly prepared to grab him again if he tried to make a move. "Would you listen to me for just a minute?"

"I don't gotta listen to nothin'." Two-Bit took a swig of his drink, purposefully looking anywhere except Tim's face. "I told you to quit callin' me names, Shepard."

"I'm sorry, alright?" Tim could've been looking at him or looking away as he spoke, Two-Bit wasn't sure, but hearing those words from him was like hearing Darry say he was taking the week off work; unlikely and uncharacteristic enough to make Two-Bit's eyes snap forward again. Light grey eyes met dark ones, and they both stood still, waiting for the tense bubble around them to break.

Instead, they were trapped in it, trapped in between all the uncomfortable feelings. But they were trapped together and that was enough to break them, if not the bubble. Two-Bit sighed, and though his frustrations were written all across his face, his guard dropped. "Are you really?"

Tim's shoulders slumped a little, his posture relaxing. Two-Bit could make a run for the doorway if he wanted, probably wouldn't even be chased this time, but he didn't want to. He took another sip of his beer to pass the moments, ignoring the frown he got when Tim's eyes fell upon the glass bottle.

"You oughta ease back on that stuff," Tim muttered, then paused for a second before nodding. "Yeah, I am... sorry, I mean. I shouldn't talk to you like that."

"You mean you shouldn't call me a dumbass," Two-Bit shot back in response, a surge of confidence lifting his words into sternness. He didn't sound as angry as he'd felt before, but he meant the words and that much was clear. "I didn't mean to start a fire-"

"Did you  _ really  _ think a tissue would put out a candle, Two-Bit?" Tim sighed heavily, scrunching up his nose in preparation to continue his lecture. But it was clear what moment he rethought it, because he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, visibly forcing his face to relax again. Two-Bit stayed silent, swishing his beer around in the bottle. Finally, Tim spoke again, his voice considerably less irritated. "Sorry. I know you didn't mean to."

"It's okay." Two-Bit wasn't sure what it was, but he couldn't look the other man in the eye anymore, so he looked down at the bottle instead. He put it down on the counter and the sigh he heaved came out shakier than he meant it to. "Just makes me feel bad and all, you thinking so low of me all the time." His eyes stung and he wished that they wouldn't, but there wasn't a lot he could do about it without making it obvious.

It must've been obvious anyways, because Tim's voice softened almost instantly. "I don't think that," he said without hesitation, stepping closer to the shorter man. "I don't, seriously."

"You act like it." Two-Bit looked up with wet eyes this time, and he blinked quickly to clear his vision, to see just how genuine Tim was. He clenched his teeth, not wanting to fully break down. "You're supposed to be my _ boyfriend _ ."

"I know it." Tim swallowed and stepped closer again, his arms just barely twitching where they hung at his side. They made eye contact, and then Two-Bit was wrapped up in an embrace, and he felt safe. 

"I'll cut it out, alright? I don't mean it," Tim murmured into Two-Bit's hair, letting out a sigh. Two-Bit nodded against his chest, arms squeezing tight around Tim's waist, like they wouldn't be able to exist on their own were they to let go of each other. Like he was finally sealing the bond that they both felt with Darry but rarely felt for each other. "I love you," Tim continued, planting a kiss atop his head. They stood like that for a few moments in silence, until finally, Two-Bit let go.

"Thanks for, uh, putting out the fire," he mumbled, quickly rubbing the heel of his hand against his eyes. His freckled cheeks were red, and so was his nose, but he couldn't help the grin that tried to spread across his face when they made eye contact again. "Good thing we didn't wake up Darry."

Tim raised an eyebrow, but soon enough, their expressions were matching, and they were laughing at the pure absurdity of the situation. If Two-Bit sniffed, he could still smell the smoke that had almost filled up the living room. They'd have to find a way to get rid of it before Darry got up for work, but they could worry about that later. As their laughter quieted down, their grins remained, and Tim leaned in to press a sweet kiss to Two-Bit's lips. They locked together in another embrace, not so tight but just as close.

"I love you, too," Two-Bit smiled when they broke apart again, all traces of tears gone from his eyes. "Guess it's a good thing I had that beer next to me, seein' as it put out the fire."

"Yeah..." Tim shoved his hands in his pockets, his eyes suddenly growing serious again. Two-Bit watched his gaze travel over his head, right where the beer bottle sat on the counter. He braced himself for the comment he knew was coming. "You really should quit drinkin' that stuff all the time, though, babe. Ain't good for you to get plastered every night."

Two-Bit sighed and reached around to grab the bottle. It was still half-full. He could drink it down in just a couple gulps if he wanted to, finish it off so he could toss the empty bottle, but the way Tim was looking at him...

Slowly, like he hadn't made up his mind yet, he carried the bottle over to the sink and proceeded to dump it down the drain. The beer was gone in seconds, washing through the pipes instead of clouding up his brain, and he couldn't help but frown when the bottle was empty. He stood still for a moment. When he glanced over his shoulder, Tim was standing behind him, his hand hovering over Two-Bit's shoulder. They didn't say anything. They didn't have to for the silence to mean something. 

Tim broke the silence first, his hand reaching out to take the empty bottle. "Wanna go get somethin' to eat?" He tossed it in the garbage can and took Two-Bit's hand in his own, already leading the way towards the door. "I'm starving. Darry's not gonna get up 'til dinnertime anyhow."

"Sure." Two-Bit wasn't given much of a choice, but he followed close behind Tim anyways, grabbing his leather jacket off the armchair as they passed it. "It's a date, huh?"

Tim turned to look at him, grinning so wide his teeth were showing. "Yeah, sweetheart," he hummed, leaning to press a quick kiss to Two-Bit's cheek. "It's a date."


End file.
